Hope Personification
by queenundertaker
Summary: WBWL Harry has an older twin, Henry. His parents are still alive.
1. Prologue

Prologue

On July 31st in 1980, it seemed to be a most splendid day. Lily Potter had finally given birth to two handsome baby boys. When they were both placed in her arms, she looked down at her two sons. Both of them took after their father, James, with his black, unruly hair. The oldest had her nose and mouth, but James' eyes and face shape. The younger one looked almost identical to her husband, but when his eyes opened as he let out a small cry, she could see her own striking green eyes.

"Our handsome boys! Oh, Lily, they are just perfect," James said in a whisper. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"They certainly are handsome. I carry them for nine months, and both of them look just like their father," Lily said jokingly. She let out a small laugh. Without looking away from her newly born sons, she said, "Happy birthday, Henry Grant and Harry James Potter."

Things went well for the Potter Family. James and Lily had decided that Remus Lupin would be Harry's godfather and Sirius Black would be Henry's. Remus and Sirius both were ecstatic; as soon as they laid their eyes on the two boys, they were already wrapped around their small, chunky fingers.

Everything was going great. A year and two months had rolled around, but they were forced into hiding as the Dark Lord started to gain more power. They had been hiding for about a month when the Dark Lord had found the Potters' location, and on Halloween of 1981, he went to Godric Hollow to kill the child meant to destroy him.

Rather than killing James and Lily, Voldemort cursed them into a deep sleep. When they woke, their sons would be dead. What better punishment for their defying him than to take their firstborns?

But something rather strange happened as the Dark Lord approached the two toddlers. He could already feel the magical core of little Harry whereas Henry's was much weaker in comparison. He pointed his wand at Harry's forehead before speaking the unforgiveable words. " _Avada Kadavra_!" The green light left the tip of Voldemort's wand, but as if the child were a mirror, it exploded on impact and rebounded at him. He let out a shrill cry as he took a few shaky steps backwards before finally falling over.

Both boys were screaming as the aurors finally showed up at their house. Dumbledore's spy had alerted him at once of the Dark Lord's plans, and he had wasted no time getting to Godric's Hollow. A few of the aurors started to shake Lily and James Potter to wake them and check their vitals. Dumbledore continued up the stairs until he was inside the twin boys' nursery.

The corpse of Voldemort laid in the corner, unmoving. Henry had a large cut on his forearm in the shape of a "v", and on little Harry's head, he had a lightning bolt shaped scar above his eye. Dumbledore picked both of them up in his arms to quieten them. He rocked them gently in his arms. "Shush now. You are both going to be perfectly alright, I assure you," he said.

As soon as they were awake, Lily and James ran up the stairs in a panic to see their sons. As they skidded to a halt at the doorway of the nursery, Dumbledore turned to them. "Voldemort has been defeated, and I do believe it was little Henry here who did it. Why, he has the scar to prove it!"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lily Potter was in an absolute frenzy. It was time to send her precious Henry on his way to Hogwarts, but he was missing things. His wizards chess set and Nimbus 2000 that he had gotten for his birthday. They were both somewhere in his room heaped under piles of rubbish and toys scattered about the room. With a swish of her wand, she cleared up his room. She preferred the traditional method of cleaning, but magic would have to do for now.

Harry stood with his trunk and Hedwig's cage on the opposite side of the room. He had everything ready to go and was just waiting for his parents to get everything of his brother's together. His mother hurried down the stairs with his brother's missing broom and chess set. "Really, Henry, you should have cleaned up your room!" she said, although there was not a reprimanding tone in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Mom, really," Henry said. He stood on his tiptoes and placed a kiss on her cheek. James clapped his son on his back.

"Are we all ready to go then?" James asked. He placed a port key on the ground. Harry hurried over with his trunk and put his hand on the key along with his parents. He squeezed his eyes shut.

When he landed, Harry opened his eyes and stood back up with his trunk. Lily brushed Henry off, and James turned to Harry, giving him a once over. "Harry, I want you to know that we are very proud of you," he said. He pulled Harry into his arms and gave him a brisk hug before walking over to Henry.

Lily was already placing kisses on his cheeks and tearing up while hugging him. "Oh, Henry! You're going to have such an amazing year!"

"And don't forget!" James said, his eyes gleaming with a familiar look in his eyes.

"Rules are meant to be broken!" Henry pitched in. He grinned ear to ear as his father gave him a few word of reassurance.

Harry turned away from his family and walked towards the opening of the train. He trudged his stuff with him and as soon as the doors opened, he entered. He felt nervous walking down the train car, and he picked a compartment near the middle. He opened the door and sat down beside the window.

He looked of the window. His parents were hurrying his brother into the line. Lily gave him one last hug before gently pushing him onto the train. They then started to wave. Harry waved a little gesture towards them, pretending that they were waving good bye to him.

A frizzy haired girl knocked on the compartment door and cracked it open. "Can we sit with you? The rest of the compartments are full," she said. There was a boy with her who Harry recognized as Neville Longbottom. He had come with his grandmother when she came for a meeting with James.

Harry nodded his head. "Of course," he said. She stepped inside and sat down opposite side of him.

"My name is Hermione Granger," she said. It didn't take long to know who she was, as she told him within the next few minutes. Apparently her parents were muggles and were something called "dentists".

The door opened and Henry stuck his head inside. He flashed a grin and stepped inside. "Holy cricket! You're Henry Potter!" Hermione said. "I've heard all about you!"

Harry cringed a little. "Of course. Why wouldn't you?" he said cheekily. He walked over to Harry and halved the money their parents had given him. "Here, Harry. Mum and Dad were looking for you, but you had already gotten on the train."

That was a lie; of course, he had seen them slip it to him. "Thank you, Henry," he said. Henry grinned and waved good bye to Hermione and Neville as he left.

His brother wasn't horrible. In fact, he tried to be fair to Harry. When their parents favored over him, he usually tried to share with his brother. He was spoiled for sure, and from what Harry had heard, he acted very much like their father, James. But Henry wasn't so bad.

His parents were the ones who played favorites- especially his mother. His father at least tried to praise and talk to him a little. His mother often acted like he wasn't even around. It hurt, but had grown used to it by now.

In fact, the two people to never play favorites were his two uncles Sirius and Remus. They weren't his uncles by blood, but they might as well be. They were currently traveling the world, as Remus wanted to help other werewolves start lives. Sirius didn't want Remus to go alone, so he made the choice to go with them. They came back on holidays, so they would see them at Christmas.

"You're Henry's brother?" Hermione said. She looked confused. "I didn't know he had a brother, none of the articles told me that."

Harry faked a laugh and waved a little. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm the actual Boy-Who-Lived. It can be real annoying, so I'm glad that I'm not as well known. My brother constantly gets hounded by that stupid Rita Skeeter, ya know? I'm glad that I'm just Harry. "

With that, Hermione got the gist that it wasn't a great topic. She started to talk about all the research she had done on Hogwarts and had memorized all the rules. Neville remained quiet almost the whole ride other than occasional mhms.

When the train finally stopped, they got up and quickly got a boat for themselves. Henry got one with his friend Ron Weasley. The Weasley family was known for all their kids and every single one of them had bright red hair, freckles, and was extremely poor. As they sit in their boat, not even Hermione whispered a word. The castle was amazing, and Harry could hardly believe that e was finally going to be staying here. He had seen the Head Master, Professor Dumbledore, once or twice but he had never spoken to him. He always paid special attention to his brother just as everyone else did.

When the boat finally stopped in front of the castle, he stepped out and helped Hermione and Neville out. As he approached the castle, a blonde haired boy stepped in front of him. He held out his hand. "You must be Harry Potter. I'm Draco Malfoy," he said.

The name Malfoy was a familiar one. He had heard his parents mention how they worked for the Dark Lord, and that Lucius Malfoy had claimed he was under the Imperius Curse. But they thought it was rubbish. He hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Draco," he said.

"I know that your parents are okay with mudbloods, but let's face it," he said, looking at Hermione and Neville, "Some wizards are better company than others. Let me help you out."

At that, Harry dropped his hand. "I do believe I can judge for myself, thanks," he said. He turned away from Draco. Hermione looked down at the ground and gritted her teeth before stomping up the steps. Harry could tell that the Malfoy boy would be trouble, he could already sense it. He hurried after Hermione and Neville followed after him. Behind them, Draco was seething.

Harry came up to Hermione and shook his head. "You're absolutely brilliant, you know. Don't let him get to you," he said. With that, she gave him a hint of a smile before turning to look at Professor McGonagall.

"Before the feast, all new students must be sorted into their respected houses," she said. "There is Hufflepuff, Griffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I've studied. I'm ready for whatever test we have do! I wonder what it is?"

"I've heard that we have to duel a troll," Neville whispered. He looked fearful that just the thought.

"You don't think they would really make us battle a troll?" Harry said. "But I don't think I would want to take a test and embarrass myself either!" At that, Hermione let out a small laugh and walked inside. She started to talk about the specifics of hexing and included a few spells that she knew.

When they reached the feast hall, they were happy to see that there was at least no troll. All the older students were taking their seats at their respected house tables. Professor McGonagall turned to them and put all the first years in line.

All the first years pranced around with their feet anxiously as a dusty hat was brought into the Feast Hall. Then Professor McGonagall started to call out the names of the first years. "Abbott, Hannah!" Student after student went, and speed seemed to speed up. "…Potter, Harry," she said.

Harry bit his mouth as he walked towards the seat up front. There were many hushed voices and whispers. The ones he made out were saying "Do you think he's related to Henry Potter." He took a seat stiffly in the chair, his heart seeming to beat harder than he thought possible. He felt the rough fabric being placed on top of his head.

 _"_ _Ah, young Harry Potter! I have been wondering when we would meet. The ambition you have is strong. Your mind is filled with intelligence, but you're very courageous as well. I think that I will have to choose…"_

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry gaped at the sorting hat's judgment. It was this time when he noticed his parents standing near the door. James had his arm around Lily's shoulders and held her close as if she were mourning. His bright green eyes made an effort to make eye-contact with his father, but he kept looking away with unmasked disgust.

He stood up on his feet stiffly before walking over to the Slytherin table and sitting down in front of a curious-looking Draco Malfoy. "So you finally came to your senses?" he said. Harry lifted his eyes to look at Draco. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he turned to watch his brother being sorted. It only took a minute before shouting "GRYFFINDOR!"

The rest of the sortings seemed to slow down. He could feel several curious eyes on his back, but kept his head down. A Potter in Slytherin? That had never happened before. If he hadn't felt like an outcast in his family before.. He wouldn't be surprised if they decided to disown him now. "So are you related to Henry Potter?" a random first year asked.

"Henry Potter is my brother," Harry said. He didn't look up from the table. He couldn't even bring himself into eating much more than a few bites of a roll. When the feast was over, he could feel a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see an older student.

"I'm Adrian Pucey," he said. He waited until the rest of the Slytherin's were filing out of the Feast Hall. "You're a Potter, right? I suppose most of your family went to Gryffindor." Harry nodded silently. "Slytherin really isn't that bad. We have a bad reputation unfortunately, but I must say that we are one of the most loyal houses…To other Slytherins, anyway!" Harry let out a small laugh.

"I suppose I have been biased by my parents, ya know? They were both Gryffindor, and I guess that's where I expected to be placed," Harry admitted.

"You're not the first one to be surprised by the sorting hat's choice. There is always a reason that you're here," Adrian said. He started to walk with Harry out of the Feast Hall. On the way out, he passed his parents, but they wouldn't even look at him. "Is that…"

"My parents," Harry answered. "My brother is in Gryffindor. I just hope he won't be a prat about it." Adrian continued to fill him in on the aspects of Hogwarts, mostly to keep him from thinking about his family. He was grateful, really, because he probably would have cried if not for Adrian's conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I just want to go over a few things. Yes, Harry Potter is a Slytherin. This is an AU, and it all comes from my brain. So sorry if you don't like that aspect, but that's where I had always planned to go with this fanfiction. That aside, I do want to continue the boys having a fairly nice attitude with each other and getting closer as the years go on. I'm also aware that there are spelling mistakes. But it isn't like a just have a proof reader stored in my cabinet. I'm not perfect. This fanfiction is just a way to express myself. I love feedback! I know I sound a bit snappy, but that's honestly not my intention. Anyway, thank you for reading!**

Chapter 2

The first night in his bedroom was a hectic one. He tossed and turned until he finally gave up and started to write a letter to his uncles. He knew that they would want to know what happened, and not from his parents. They noticed his parents' bias.

 _Dear Remus and Sirius,_

 _How is your traveling going? I hope you found that pack you were talking about. I miss you guys every day and even now at Hogwarts. Sometimes I think about breaking and entering your house to crash there for a night. (Sorry! Even though you are probably just laughing about that right now…) But that's not the reason I'm writing you, as much as I do miss you. I want to keep you updated! You already know that Henry and I were to start Hogwarts this this. We did! But here's the thing… Henry, of course, is sorted into Gryffindor. But I got sorted into Slytherin. I'm not a bad person, right? Not really? I know sometimes I get jealous or upset, but I'm not horrible, right? Mum and Dad were by the door, and they wouldn't even acknowledge me. I don't blame them, though._

 _Love, Harry_

Harry rolled up the piece of paper and let his owl come out of her cage. She gave a happy hoot as he pet her head a few times. "Hedwig, are you up for a nice flight to Remus and Sirius?" he asked. She nipped his finger affectionately and stretched out her leg towards him. He gave her one last pat before tying the letter to her leg. "Do be sure to rest if you need to, don't strain yourself, okay?" He walked over to the window and opened it up. Hedwig immediately flied out of the room and into the night sky.

He watched her until she disappeared into the distance. He shut the window and lied down on his bed. He curled up and snuggled his pillow close to himself. He could only imagine what his uncles would say when they read it. Perhaps they would understand? Either way, he would have his reply in two days. He closed his eyes and let sleep overcome him.

In the morning, he woke to Adrian waking him up. "Time to get up!" he said. He let out a groan as he picked up his glasses and put them on.

"I'm up, I'm up," Harry said. He switched into his robes and walked out of the room. He bumped into Draco Malfoy, knocking him down.

"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Malfoy said. After a moment, he held his hand out to help him up.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He took Draco's hand and stood up. The blond looked him up and down before smirking.

"Potter, you may want to fix your robes, they're inside out," he said. Harry turned red before he walked inside the room and flipped it the right way. When he walked back out, Draco gave him a thumbs-up. "Much better."

Harry's mouth toward upward in a small smile. "Thank you. That would have been an embarrassing start at Hogwarts," he said. He combed his fingers through his unruly hair. "I would never hear the end of it!"

Draco waited for Harry to be beside him before he started to walk. "Everyone is nervous and makes mistakes during the first week! Did you hear last that that a Ravenclaw girl fell down the moving passageways? She was Madame Pomfrey's first patient!" he said. "Could you imagine?"

Harry shuddered. "I wouldn't want to. Is she alright now?" he said. Draco snorted.

"Of course she is alright! Madame Pomfrey has her all patched up more than likely! She is a wonderful healer, hand-chosen by Dumbledore himself," he said. As they continued to walk, their small talk continued until they reached the Feast Hall. Henry was beside the entry way.

"Harry?" he said. Harry told Draco to save him a seat before walking over to his brother.

"H-hey," Harry said. Henry didn't wait for a second before hugging him.

"I never thought you would turn out to be a snake, but that's okay! Were they nice to you? Did anyone give you trouble? I'll pound them if they did!" Henry said.

This is how his brother always was. He was a prat to anyone other than his family. He always tended to look after his brother, and he couldn't stand it when their parents played favorites. He was definitely very brave to object to them, and Harry could see why he was placed in Gryffindor.

"No, no one gave me any trouble," Harry said. He pulled away from his brother. "I wrote to Remus and Sirius last night, and then I just fell asleep. The two Slytherins that I have talked to aren't horrible at all, really. Is Gryffindor like how Mum and Dad said it was?"

"Gryffindor is great, really. I'm in a room with Ron, Neville, and a boy named Seamus. I think they're pretty cool, but I hate just being…" Henry trailed off. Then spoke in a mocking tone. "The fantastic, amazing, and all-powerful _boy-who-lived_. That's all I'm known as…"

"Don't you even worry about it, Henry! Soon, you'll be known as the boy who, well, does whatever you're going to do!" Harry said. Both of them laughed and walked into the Feast Hall and took their seats.

Within a few seconds, owls with messages started coming in. A letter was dropped in front of him. The name "James Potter" was scrawled on top in a messy handwriting that he recognized as his father's. He nervously opened the letter.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I know I didn't congratulate you last night. In fact, if I did, I would be lying to not only you but also myself. I cannot congratulate you on making Slytherin. I suppose I'm very much biased for Gryffindor. In fact, I wasn't very kind to the Slytherins. Perhaps I just didn't give them a chance. But anyway, I do want you do know that this doesn't change anything. You are still my son, and I still love you. Your mother isn't very happy about your sorting, but she will come around. I just want you to have a great year. I know that I haven't been the best father to you and your brother. One day I will explain everything to you. I want to share all of my experiences and adventures from Hogwarts with you and your brother. Did you know that your old man wasn't a stickler for rules? Probably you do, but I still want to tell you all about them. I wouldn't even care if you were a Hufflepuff! I would still love you._

 _Love, Dad_

Harry didn't know exactly how he felt. Relief was one of the emotions he felt, but somewhere deep down, he also felt something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He refolded the paper and put it back in the envelope. He put it in his pocket before starting to eat. He stuffed himself with cheesy grits and pieces of bacon. He hadn't eaten much last night, so he let himself eat until he was completely full.

When the breakfast feast was over, classes were about to start. He pulled out his schedule. Most of his classes were with the Gryffindors except for two: Charms and Astrology. Those were with the Hufflepuffs. There was only one class today, as it was Monday. He had Herbology on Mondays from 8:30AM to 10:30AM. Then on Tuesday he had Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. On Wednesday he had Herbology and Astronomy. On Thursday, he got a break from Herbology and instead had Transfiguration, Charms, and Flying. Then on Friday he had double Potions all morning.

Harry made his way outside to where Herbology was. As he was walking, someone jumped up behind him. "Harry! We have Herbology together, ya know!"

"All of our classes are except for Charms and Astrology," Harry pointed out. His lips turned upwards in a little grin. He glanced around quickly. "Dad wrote me." The color seemed to drain out of Henry's face.

"What did he say?" he asked. He shuffled around nervously, and Harry knew that he thought it was bad news. He pulled out the letter from his pocket and handed it to him. Henry skimmed over it before sighing in relief. "I don't care if you're a Slytherin, either, ya know! Let anyone say anything, I'll beat 'em to a pulp!"

"Henry Grant Potter, you contain yourself," Harry said. He took the note and folded it before putting it back into his pocket. "Come on before we end up late!" At that, both of them raced for the green house.

They both skidded in front of the entrance to the green house. "Ah, there you two are. Glad to have you join us! Now please take your place around the table," Professor Sprout said as she clapped her hands and rubbed them together in anticipation. Both of their ears turned red. Henry stood beside his brother as Professor Sprout. She was passing out earmuffs and explaining how they were going to repot baby Mandrakes.

Harry barely stifled his laughter as Henry muttered something about her resemblance to a mandrake. He elbowed him easily and looked at him with a fake look of disappointment. He took a pair of earmuffs and secured them tightly on his head.

"And now, simply yank them up and put them into the pots next to you!" she said. Harry yanked up the baby Mandrake and couldn't help but to upturn his nose at the ugly screaming baby. He put it in the pot and immediately drowned its cries underneath the dirt. Neville had passed out, and Ron Weasley looked sick to his stomach.

After Herbology, all his classes seemed to blend together. It was stressful getting to his classes on time and trying to avoid getting stuff on the stair cases. It also didn't help that it was going around school that he was the 'evil twin brother' of Henry's. That was awfully harsh. Not one Hufflepuff, the supposed nicest at Hogwarts would go near him. At one point, he had to check that he didn't have a sign posted on his back. All that aside, the drama would fade soon enough, and he figured that he would have a wonderful year.


End file.
